College Degrees Lacking In Nevada (Las Vegas: job market, colleges, salary)
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Getting a college degree is not truly necessary and employers should stop requiring them for most jobs.
Most jobs that require a college degree only do so because so many people go to college nowadays and employers just use it as an easy way of discriminating in-favor of the "motivated" and the middle age applicant. If you are in your mid-40's, college was not as important or a requirement to obtain a high-paying stable job, when I graduated. Do you really need a college agree to be a city clerk or a salesperson or even a software developer, insurance adjuster, office manager,etc?
The common question is "where did you go to college?"
Yes, a college degree states that you're book knowledgable and can be your go to the head of the line pass. But other than that, how essential is college?
Most of the knowledge you learn in college si the same knowledge you could learn on your own, or by taking a class or a seminar, or by joining a study group … or just by reading a book or looking it up on the Internet ...
The college experience is very important in developing people socially and increasing maturity -- and also helping increase our drinking skills.
Skills are important to learn: nursing, mechanics, dry wall, sales, computer programming, office managment … skills are what employers should require, which are certainly not what comes with a typical college degree.
The best education and knowledge I have ever aquired was and is on the job training and real experiences, not book experiences. I could run circles around any college degree applicant.
Although I agree that a college degree is not an absolute neccessity to be successful in life, it does make it much easier for someone with a degree to get ahead faster than those without one. If a degree is used as an aide to develop a skill, then it will be much easier for that same person to just "get another job" than for someone who doesn't have one. The starting wages will typically be much higher too, making it easier to "start over" somewhere. If it were so easy for most of us to just "start over" those in the midwest and the southern US areas that have been hammered by a loss of manufacturing would be doing just fine and their communities wouldn't be suffering for it.
I think trades earned through apprenticeships (plumbers, electricians, ect.) are just as valuable as degrees, but are unfortunately always overlooked when it comes to education surveys.
The survey that ranks Nevada so low in College degrees is significant because it tells us what kind of people are moving and staying in this state. People with degrees typically bring (and demand) a certain lifestyle and community that we have had a difficult time creating here. They also have the means to support it which makes it easier for all of us to enjoy a wider range of entertainment and cultural events. Las Vegas always suffers from this. I know we can all cite several places in casinos where we can see art or a show, but those aren't here because locals demanded it. I also know that there are many of us out there without degrees that enjoy entertaining things besides the latest Hollywood Blockbuster, but as a generalization, degrees help bring a higher quality of life to communities. they also help develop communities that are not one-trick ponies like Las Vegas is. Without gaming, we wouldn't be much different than Detroit.
Getting a college degree is not truly necessary and employers should stop requiring them for most jobs.
Most jobs that require a college degree only do so because so many people go to college nowadays and employers just use it as an easy way of discriminating in-favor of the "motivated" and the middle age applicant. If you are in your mid-40's, college was not as important or a requirement to obtain a high-paying stable job, when I graduated. Do you really need a college agree to be a city clerk or a salesperson or even a software developer, insurance adjuster, office manager,etc?
The common question is "where did you go to college?"
Yes, a college degree states that you're book knowledgable and can be your go to the head of the line pass. But other than that, how essential is college?
Most of the knowledge you learn in college si the same knowledge you could learn on your own, or by taking a class or a seminar, or by joining a study group … or just by reading a book or looking it up on the Internet ...
The college experience is very important in developing people socially and increasing maturity -- and also helping increase our drinking skills.
Skills are important to learn: nursing, mechanics, dry wall, sales, computer programming, office managment … skills are what employers should require, which are certainly not what comes with a typical college degree.
The best education and knowledge I have ever aquired was and is on the job training and real experiences, not book experiences. I could run circles around any college degree applicant.
I'm willing to bet that you didn't graduate from college.
Even if you won't admit it.
The only people I have ever heard in my whole life say things like you are saying above are those that didn't graduate from college. It's like they walk around with a chip on their shoulder about it and try to dismiss the importance of one, try to justify not having one.
There's no point in even arguing your points. Those of us with degrees know how useful they really are and could never convince people like you otherwise.
And I say this as a college graduate, who's about to embark upon earning a master's degree.
I am about to earn my first bachelor's degree at age 48. I had the opportunity to go to college when I graduated from high school, but was realistic enough to understand that I was not ready for it at that time. Instead, I applied myself, developed a career that lasted 20 years in which I pretty much reached the pinnacle of success - my abilities were what people paid for, not my degree (or lack thereof!)
That notwithstanding, my wife, who is an IT person, has all the skills that nearly 30 years in the same profession would accumulate, however, she's hit the wall when it comes to progression, not because of her abilities, but because she lacks a degree.
I think a degree is a double-edged sword. A lot depends on what you want to accomplish, and there are fields where the lack of a degree either shuts you out completely or limits your ability to progress.
My former employer, a major privately-held corporation, went through cycles where they would hire non-degreed people (like myself) then for a few years would only consider candidates with degrees. Sadly, many of the non-degreed people were far more effective in their jobs because they had "street smarts" they had developed over the years they spent "in the trenches." The college grads did not possess these abilities, and while most were successful, their learning curve was far steeper and longer.
However, I am just about to finish a degree in teaching - special education. There is no way in heck that someone could walk into a classroom with nothing but "street smarts" and be a successful and effective classroom teacher. You MUST be properly trained in the pedagogy - it's not something you can make up as you go along. I may continue on and get my masters degree, mainly because I enjoy academia and research, not because I have a burning desire to be able to say I have an M.A.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I think there is no stock response when it comes to whether or not someone should have a degree. I do know that regardless of whether or not your profession is related to the discipline you studied in college (if you went to college) the fact that you have a degree holds a great deal of value in the view of an employer.
I have a high school aged child. They *will* attend college, like it or not. I say that because I know I could have made it to an even higher level than I did had I possessed a college degree. I will also say that attending college in your 40s is a blast, because you're a heck of a lot smarter than you were in your 20s.
I'm willing to bet that you didn't graduate from college.
Even if you won't admit it.
The only people I have ever heard in my whole life say things like you are saying above are those that didn't graduate from college. It's like they walk around with a chip on their shoulder about it and try to dismiss the importance of one, try to justify not having one.
There's no point in even arguing your points. Those of us with degrees know how useful they really are and could never convince people like you otherwise.
And I say this as a college graduate, who's about to embark upon earning a master's degree.
Actually, my husband graduated at the top of his class from the University of Michigan and he makes statements like that a lot. I just read an interesting article about the high percentage of people graduating from college who are not even finding jobs in their chosen field, rendering those high-priced degrees useless.
It's nice that you have a degree and are earning your master's, that's a big accomplishment. But your use of the term "people like you" shows an ignorance that no amount of degrees can fix.
Actually, my husband graduated at the top of his class from the University of Michigan and he makes statements like that a lot. .
And if he didn't have that degree you wouldn't believe the statements he'd be making. He'd wish had the degree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ou812girl
I just read an interesting article about the high percentage of people graduating from college who are not even finding jobs in their chosen field, rendering those high-priced degrees useless. .
I'm not buying it. Sure, people say it and write articles about it. But I'm not buying it. Maybe there are certain areas where this is the case, but sometimes to work in your chosen field you have to relocate. If they aren't willing to do that then it's on them. Also, you have to pay attention to what you get your degree in. Do the homework to see if it's a field that has a lot of job growth or one that has declining job numbers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ou812girl
It's nice that you have a degree and are earning your master's, that's a big accomplishment. But your use of the term "people like you" shows an ignorance that no amount of degrees can fix.
You know perfectly well what is meant by my comment. People like you is referring to those without degrees that walk around with a chip on their shoulder. I meet them here and there and it's always the same old song and dance. But it does look like you put a lot of thought in drumming up that line. LOL...too funny.
couple of points. During Vietnam there was a huge increase in the number of men attending college due to the deferment. Many of them did not find work in their fields. Many who came from blue collar backgrounds wound up in blue collar work, much like their fathers, the difference being, they were educated, they knew philosphy, history, culture, etc. Most of my carpenter, contractor, electrician, plumber friends have degrees, they can carry on a conversation, and they can construct a paragraph, Which brings me to my next point.
One should not go to college for job training, one should go to college to get educated.
It needs to start with getting kids to actually graduate high school first with good enough grades to get scholarships to afford college, maybe then we'd have more adults with degrees.
Is there any blue color or most white color job that is not boring after a few years?
The old description of flying an airplane comes to mind. Thousands and thousands of hours of boredom seperating seconds of terror.
My job inlaw enforcement is considered blue collar. I must say that I have been doing this for a total of 4 years and I am excited to go to work almost every morning. I wake up before the alarm (when I work days) and have no problem crawling out of bed. Besides, I get a three day weekend every week. So yes, there are jobs out there that are not boring, I never see the same thing twice.
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College Degree or Not
